I had the quintessential '1950s wife' moment today. At 410 a.m., I heard 'a noise' and woke up my husband to check it out. He bravely went outdoors to discover the battery on our pop up camper (caravan) was about to die, and the carbon monoxide detector in the camper was beeping as a result. One disconnected cable later, and we were back in bed. I thought this would make a perfect SS/HG one shot, so here you go!

It's not beta'd or Brit picked.

Spinner's End was quiet so early in the morning; dawn had not yet broken so the birds hadn't even begun to chirp yet. Hermione rolled over in her sleep, snuggling closer to her husband, causing his snoring to stop for a moment. He then snorted and began again.

Hermione was used to Severus' snoring, so it wasn't this that woke her suddenly, but another unfamiliar noise. She turned onto her back and listened. She could tell the noise was near the bedroom, but when she looked around, she saw nothing out of the ordinary. She rolled over, hoping that if she ignored it, it would stop. The noise continued.

It was not the sound of their children; usually they just burst into the room if they had had a nightmare or needed some other sort of comforting.

"Severus!" she whispered as she poked her husband in his ribs. He grunted, but did not wake up.

"Severus!" she hissed more loudly. "Severus! Wake up!"

He bolted into a sitting position, wand in hand. "Whu-what is it? What's the matter? Is it the children? An intruder?" He looked around the room for whomever it may be about to harm his family, and then turned toward Hermione. "What is it?"

"I heard a noise."

"What?" he blinked.

"I heard a noise—there it is again!" Both listened.

"I don't hear anything," he said, moving to lie down again.

"No!" She stopped his progress with a hand on his arm. "Listen...there, do you hear it?"

"I do hear something," he said and got out of bed.

"It sounds like it's coming from near the window," Hermione whispered.

Severus looked out of the window and then opened it. The sound became louder.

"What is it?" Hermione cried, frightened.

"I don't know."

"Well, go check it out!"

"Hermione, it's ten past four in the morning; I am not going outside to find a noise that will turn out to be rats in the garden!"

"Please? I won't be able to sleep with a noise like that going on."

Severus huffed. "All right. I know you won't let ME sleep if I don't go and check it out."

"What? You're going outside? It could be dangerous!"

"Yes, I am going outside. You'll not give me another moment's peace until I do," Severus grumbled as he pulled on his trousers and grabbed a cloak from the wardrobe. He made entirely too much noise as he went down the stairs.

Hermione lay in bed listening to his progress. When she heard the kitchen door open, she slipped out of bed to watch out of the window. She could see him look about and then duck into a bush just below the window. Since she couldn't see what she was doing now that he had bent out of view, she snatched her dressing gown from the bed and dashed downstairs.

She reached the kitchen just as Severus came back in with something in his hand.

"What was it? What did you find?"

"This." He held up his hand. Clutched in his fingers was a Sneak-o-Scope. "Were the children outside playing today?"

"Of course. Oh, it must have been Samuel; he's forever forgetting to bring his toys in."

"It was among the bushes," said Severus, setting the device on the table.

"But if it was going off, that meant something suspicious was going on? Severus, did you see anyone?" she asked, wide eyed.

"Yes, I did," he answered evasively.

"Who was it? Did you hex them? Should we call the Aurors?"

"Hermione..."

Hermione was rather frantic now, flapping her hands in her agitation. "We should Floo harry, he'll come over and find them. Are the children safe?"

"Woman, would you be quiet!"

"But Severus-!"

"Sit down, love. I will show you our 'intruder.'"

Hermione pulled out one of the kitchen chairs and sat.

"Now," Severus continued, "here is you're intruder." He pulled a small lump from his pocket. A tiny hedgehog, rolled into a protective ball, seemed even tinier in Severus' large palm.

"Oh, it's so weeny!"

"Yes and rather noisy," he replied dryly.

"It's looks cold. Let me have it." Severus tipped the animal into Hermione palm, and she pulled it close for a cuddle. "Oh, he's so sweet. I'll have to find something to feed it and make a bed."

"Speaking of bed, I am going back to ours. My holiday has started, and I plan on sleeping for a week."

"You run along, love. And thank you for once again being my hero."

Severus snorted, but kissed Hermione soundly on the lips. "Don't be long."

"I won't; I'll just get him settled and in the morning we can decide what to do with it."

Twenty minutes later, Hermione slipped into bed, moving to cuddle her husband. "My hero," she whispered and kissed his neck before drifting off to sleep.

I hope you liked this! We found no sweet hedgehogs during our early morning adventure, but rest assured, Hermione fed, watered, and bedded down the little prickly beast with a protection charm around it so it wouldn't wander away or be eaten by Crookshanks.

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